John Kelly, 53, is accused of interfering with an active homicide investigation and was charged with four counts of libel and obstruction of justice after he allegedly posed as a paralegal and approached the mother of a 2003 homicide victim saying he could help her sue police.

Calgary RCMP started their investigation after being contacted about the case by Calgary’s chief of police.

“In my 29 years, I’ve never heard of an individual being charged under the Criminal Code for libel charges, defamation of character,” said RCMP Supt. Randy McGinnis.

While libel itself is not rare, it is usually handled in civil court, not criminal.